Ask A DFW Expert: Your Best Thanksgiving Pie

Even though your guests may be feeling stuffed after chowing down on turkey and all the fixings, a Thanksgiving feast isn’t complete without dessert. To help make your dessert spread memorable, executive pastry chef Ruben Torano from The Joule and Marche Ann Mann, chef and owner of the Black Rooster Bakery, have shared some Thanksgiving pie recipes that are sure to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth.

Executive pastry chef extraordinaire Ruben Torano, of The Joule Hotel, is known for wowing die-hard dessert-aholics with an array of sweet concoctions he creates for the hotel’s chic brasserie CBD Provisions. Here, Torano shares his recipe for an autumn-inspired dessert that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser at any Thanksgiving table — pear pumpkin cobbler with brown cinnamon horchata ice cream. This dessert can be made a few days in advance and assembled before serving.

Pear Pumpkin Cobbler (Credit, CBD Provisions)

Pear Pumpkin CobblerIngredients for the filling:

6 medium diced pears

1 lemon, zested

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 vanilla bean (split open)

2 cinnamon sticks

8 oz. sugar

2 cups apple juice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

8 oz. cranberries

3 additional pears, medium diced

1 can pumpkin puree

Directions:

Place the first six ingredients and the salt in a large saucepan.

Add enough apple juice to cover and bring to a boil.

Add cranberries to mixture and slowly cook until fruit becomes soft and the liquid begins to thicken.

Remove from heat and add in the additional diced pears and let rest until tender.

When chef Marche Ann Mann opened the Black Rooster Bakery in 2010, it instantly became Fort Worth’s go-to place for European-style artisan breads. Mann’s bakery even provides bread to many of Fort Worth’s top restaurants. Along with bread, the Black Rooster is known for its delicious sandwiches and a wide variety of delectable sweets. Mann says that pies rule the Rooster’s roost and one of her favorites is a cranberry chess pie that she has graciously shared the recipe for here. You can substitute the cranberry topping for any topping you fancy, the possibilities are numerous for dressing it up, says Mann.

Cranberry Chess Pie

Ingredients:

1 baked 9-inch pie shell

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 cup cranberries, partially chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in egg yolks.

Add flour, lemon juice, nutmeg and salt to combine.

With mixer running, slowly add the buttermilk.

Whip egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold into the buttermilk mixture.

Ilene Jacobs is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas. Ilene enjoys writing about a variety of topics, ranging from food, fitness and travel, to kids, pets and senior care. You can find some of her work at Examiner.com.